Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy
by Lieutenant Caine
Summary: Leather chaps and a midnight ride.


**Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy**

**(The fourth and final part of the Man and a Rifle series.)**

All day Calleigh's mind had teased her with tantalizing mental images of a certain tall, handsome, redheaded Lieutenant wearing nothing but leather chaps. More than once a co-worker had caught her staring off into space, daydreaming about the possibilities

She was test firing a gun recovered from a dumpster behind a local high school when Speed walked into her lab. Rather she was holding the gun in her motionless hands while she let her mind wander to thought of Horatio.

"Hey, Calleigh…focus. That gun's not gonna shoot by itself, you know." Speed stood there watching her, amused at her total departure from normal Duquesne behavior. "What's got you so off balance, Cal? Does it have something to do with you and Horatio and that smudge of lipstick we all saw on his lips last week?"

"If I told you, Speed, I'd have to shoot you," she sassed him. "Now, do you have a reason for being in my lab other than trying to pry classified information out of me?" Her voice was lilting, but more than a little serious.

"Uh, no. Not actually," Speed answered as he turned to leave. He started out the door and then turned back and said in sotto voce, "Get him, good, Calleigh."

"Speed!" came her embarrassed exclamation.

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Calleigh sighed as she started to clean up and put things away for the evening. It was still early, not yet 6:00 and she wanted to get out in enough time to dash home and freshen up before heading to Horatio's home and heaven only knew what else. She started out the door and was startled when Horatio stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

"Not running to hide are you Ms. Duquesne?" His voice had a seductive undercurrent to it that made butterflies dance in her stomach.

"Not at all, Lieutenant Caine. Just going home to clean up a bit. Do I need to bring anything with me this evening?" Her voice came out slightly breathless, anticipation heightening her senses.

"Nothing but your lovely self."

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Calleigh arrived at Horatio's home a little before 8:00. He'd said to bring nothing but herself, but it seemed a million butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach and had insisted on coming along for the evening. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she raised her hand to ring the doorbell and almost jumped a mile when her cell phone rang at the same time. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. *Horatio Caine* read the letters on the screen. Curiosity buzzed through her as she flipped the phone open.

"Yes, Handsome?" she asked, her voice sounding more confident than she actually felt.

"The door is open, Calleigh. Let yourself in. I'm out back by the pool."

Calleigh closed her eyes as all sorts of images of Horatio flooded her mind, most of them producing a very becoming blush on her cheeks. She very quickly let herself, in, closed and locked the front door behind her and then followed her instincts toward the back of the house where she found the sliding glass doors partially open. A secluded back yard enclosed a sparkling pool and a richly landscaped lawn with a stunning display of Miami flora. Off to one side, sheltered by two Royal Palms sat a large white gazebo. Calleigh scanned the yard are but saw no signs of Horatio until she saw a flicker of movement from inside the gazebo. With anticipation fairly screaming along her nerve endings she approached, stepped inside…and immediately felt her lungs stop functioning. Her eyes widened in stunned disbelief. There lying in a comfortable chaise lounge was Horatio. He was wearing a pair of black leather chaps…and nothing else.

An amused grin spread over Horatio's face as he watched Calleigh try to form an intelligent comment, but her mouth simply wouldn't frame the words. She was aware of only two things…the incredible sight in front of her and the pulsing heat that seared through her body in response.

"Come here to me, Calleigh," he said in a voice full of sensual promise.

On shaking legs, she approached the chair, her green eyes locked with his blue ones. He held out his hand to her and she took it hesitantly. With seemingly no effort he pulled her down across his lap. The shortness of her skirt left her legs bare, and the enticing feeling of soft, supple leather sliding against her naked skin left her shivering with need. Her hands ended up splayed across his bare chest and she gasped at the scorching flare of wet heat that instantly burned through the lower half of her body. Calleigh could hardly breath much less speak coherently.

Knowing Calleigh's sense of decorum well, Horatio deliberately sought to shock her, to leave her reeling, incapable of conscious thought, able only to respond as her body saw fit. He wanted her pure uncensored response to his brazen display, and was enchanted to see that she was fighting for control and losing badly. He lifted one hand to boldly cup her breast through the material of her top and graze his thumb across the pebble hard tip. He smiled as he heard her gasp at the intimate contact. She was rapidly slipping toward the edge.

"Horatio, I can't…" she gasped as he lowered his head and gave a long, slow lick along her neck. He nipped and kissed his way over her throat and gently sucked at the racing pulse he found there. She moaned and her body arched closer to his.

"Calleigh, just for tonight, let your guard down," he urged her seductively as he pulled her closer to him. "Let go of the control and let your body simply respond to my touch."

Sensing that she was close to total surrender, he covered her lips with a debilitating, passionate kiss. Of their own accord, Calleigh's lips parted, allowing his tongue to delve deep inside. Their tongues danced and dueled, battling for supremacy. Calleigh moaned in pleasure as Horatio's hands traveled over her body, down along her waist and then tantalizingly brushed the length of her thigh. Taking his bold caresses inward, he slid one hand up under her skirt between her legs and softly cupped her mound. His palm was instantly soaked by her wetness.

"Calleigh, you are so wet, so ready," he groaned. His own control was taxed almost to the breaking point by now. Not giving her any time to think he hooked his fingers inside the lacy edge of her panties and slide them down her legs. Quickly he unzipped the back of her skirt and divested her of the garment. Her blouse was next and he skillfully loosened it from her body and added it to the growing pile on the floor of the gazebo. She was putty in his hands, warm and soft, and pliant as he caressed and teased and urged her into a frenzied state of need.

She was still lying across his lap, but Horatio easily gripped her waist and re-positioned her so that she was straddling his hips. Calleigh's head fell backward in ecstasy as he lowered her slowly onto his rock hard length. The feeling of him filling and stretching her almost sent her over the brink, but she fought back the tidal wave of pleasure and began to rock slowly, taking him in deeply, fully. She opened her eyes and looked down at him, unable to speak for the sheer intensity of the physical sensations that were washing over her. The incredible feeling of the warm, soft leather chaps under her thighs only heightened the sensations.

Horatio looked up into her passion-glazed eyes and whispered, "Ride me, Calleigh. Ride me hard. Give in to your body's urges. It will be so good." Those words, spoken in his smoky, seductive voice broke the last of her control and she simply gave in to his promise of pleasure.

His warm hands gripped her waist firmly as she began a rhythmic stroking, pulling almost completely clear of him and then impaling herself again deeply. With each movement of her body against him, Horatio met her with a hard upward thrust. He watched as she valiantly tried to slow the rushing onslaught of pleasure, desperately clinging to the last thread of sanity she had left. Her movements lost their grace, became erratic and harried, and Horatio felt her muscles begin to clench tightly around him, watched her eyes lose focus.

"Let it happen, Calleigh. Let me watch you lose control."

She gave one final desperate lunge against him, let his name slip from her lips, and fell headlong over the precipice into an overwhelming climax. Her body shuddered and convulsed around him as pleasure ripped through her. It was enough to send him crashing over the edge with her.

Calleigh collapsed against his chest, trembling and spent. His arms enfolded her and held her close. Gradually they came back to their senses, and Horatio said softly, "You okay, Sweetheart?"

"I think I'm more than okay," she smiled against his chest. She kissed her way over his collarbone and up along his neck, provoking a growl from him. Pulling back to look into his eyes, she shook her head slightly, her own eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Do me a favor, Handsome. Warn me the next time you intend to rope, throw, and brand me."

His rich deep laughter rang out into the still evening air. "I will certainly do just that, if you will warn me the next time you intend to wear all black. Hmmmm. You started all this, you know, during the Harwood case. Hot flashes, you said. If we hadn't been so exposed on top of that building I would have shown you a thing or two about hot flashes, my lovely bulletgirl. This 6ft tall man wanted to lay down with much more than a three foot long rifle, I assure you."

"I started this?" Calleigh protested with a smile. "Well if I started it, you kept it running when you asked me if I liked seeing men dressed up in my underwear."

"Well, maybe so, Sweetheart, but you took my breath away with your sexy little remark about leather chaps. And look what it got you." He smirked.

"Mmmm. I happen to like what it got me," she flirted shamelessly.

"Oh you do, do you?" He growled suggestively. "Well then…saddle up, Cowgirl. This rodeo may last all night."

Calleigh never had a chance to answer since his lips closed over hers again.

It was indeed a very, very long night.

A/N This will be all for a while. The re-postings will occur perhaps once per month, perhaps not that frequently. All four of these stories were re-printed in their original form with only minor changes and spelling corrections. Some author notes were left out simply to streamline the process of resurrecting the fics. Here's hoping you enjoyed the older material.

Lieutenant Caine


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